Top of the Pops Interview

TOTP: OK, you've got exactly one minute to answer as many questions as you can. Here we go! You're here to record your new singles 'Girls And Boys' and 'The Anthem'. Can you tell us a little bit about each one?
Joel: Well 'Girls And Boys' is coming out before 'The Anthem'. It's about superficial people and the kind of people they date. 'The Anthem' is about who we are, the way we live and the things that we believe in.

TOTP: How did all of you get together?
Benji: We were dancers [cue sarcasm]
Joel: He was a dancer. Er, we started out in high school. We started playing with Paul then Billy came a couple of years later. Then finally Chris.

[Laughs - Chris is fast to sleep behind them]

TOTP: How would you describe your music?
Benji: Dancey!
Billy: Fun!
Paul: Expressive!
Benji: Punky!
Billy: Eclectic!
Joel: Self-exploring!
Paul: Juicy!
Benji: Car-free!
Paul: Sugar-free!
Benji: Imaginative!
Billy: Possibly decadent
Benji: Triumphant, buoyant, flamboyant. And finally flaming hot.

TOTP: Is it true that the Beastie Boys kicked it off for you when you were kids?
Benji: Actually we never got into the show! Joel left the tickets at home so we stood outside and sang along to the music through the building! [laughs]

Billy: [still laughing] Yeah! Then we got one of those crappy T-shirts outside. The ones where you wash it once and the writing comes off.

TOTP: Now, rumour has it that you used to play baseball. Do you still play it now?
Benji: Nah! We used toplay cricket. It's a big sport in America. [If Benji's not careful, he's gonna dry up]

TOTP: What's the weirdest thing that's happened to you at a gig?
Benji: Paul threw up on me once! Paul throws up a lot.
Billy: It's cool!
Benji: [Brace yourselves] Last month I met this girl at the show. I woke up after the show the next day to discover it was a guy! It was weird... Now we're going out together!
All: [Humongous laughs]

TOTP: What's the most outrageous thing that you've ever done. It can be on or off the stage?
Joel: Why don't you answer this one Benji. You're the joker. [tension is mounting]
Benji: I haven't done anything outrageous. We're actually a very tame band. We're quite boring really! Come on boys, is there anything outrageous that we've done?
Joel: Benj put poo on a $20 bill and stuck it in an ATM machine. This guy then went to pick it up and he got poo all over his hand! [laughs]

TOTP: Is it true that you were shampoo boys once upon a time?
Benji: In a way.
Joel: I once worked at a hair salon where I shampooed ladies hair. Somebody read it and made us out as shampoo boys. I actually enjoyed it. It was one of my favourite jobs.
Benji: I was a whipping boy for a rich family. [little sniggers]

TOTP: What other types of music do you like?
Benji: I bought three CD's yesterday. Sinead O'Connor, Evan Dando's new album and Cave In. I like 'em all!
Joel: I like older stuff than that. I'm into the Cure and the Smiths. I also just bought a Dean Martin record.